Cartier

The first Mystery Clock was sold by Cartier in 1912, only one year after Maison Cartier began their partnership with gifted clockmaker Maurice Coüet (1885–1963). Hailing from a family of horologists, Coüet produced some of the most important clocks of the Art Deco period that became iconic to the time. Coüet is most famous for being the mastermind behind the Comet and Mystery Clocks for Cartier, and this legacy cemented both Coüet and Cartier's place in horology history.

The ‘Mystery’ of the clocks stem from how the hands seem to float in space without any support. In reality, this effect was achieved with an optical illusion by setting the hands onto crystal discs, encasing them in a central compartment, usually rock crystal, that has been hollowed out. Each of the discs has a toothed-edge that is then powered by gears hidden in the case. The result is what we see from the outside: hands that appear to float and move independently in space.

Louis Cartier further marketed Mystery Clocks as the ultimate objet d’art. Often engraved with beautiful motifs and set with glittering precious gemstones, fabrication of a Cartier Mystery Clock can take anywhere from three to over twelve months, requiring not just a master clockmaker, but also a master goldsmith, an enameller, a lapidary, a setter, an engraver, and a polisher. 

The present example is a contemporary pocket watch sized iteration of the Mystery Timepieces that cemented Cartier’s position as the King of Jewelers and the Jeweler of Kings.